Aldridge leads Sunday’s S&Ds with strong late effort

Or it could have just been the unfamiliarity of having a day off during the middle of the lockout season.

But Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge said he just didn’t feel right for much of the early part of his game Sunday against Cleveland.

Fortunately for the Trail Blazers, Aldridge shook out of his lethargy in the second half. The former Texas standout finished with 28 points and eight rebounds in Portland’s 98-78 victory over Cleveland to lead Sunday’s Studs and Duds.

Portland coach Nate McMillan wanted his team to forget about a struggling loss at Phoenix Friday night. As a result, he gave them Saturday off and didn’t schedule his shootaround practice until much later on Sunday as they prepared for the Cavaliers.

The change in routine was jarring, but Aldridge became more acclimated as the game continued.

“It wasn’t sharp, and when you come off a bad game like we played in Phoenix, you’ve got to be sharp,” Aldridge told the Associated Press.

And in the second half, the Trail Blazers reached that level.

“I just felt we had to work harder,” McMillan told the Oregonian. “We needed to dig down and work harder on both ends of the floor. Defensively, we were kind of just like in a daze, kind of flat. Then we got going.”

Others around the league joined Aldridge on Sunday’s Studs and Duds.

STUDS

Portland F LaMarcus Aldridge: Notched 28 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals and was a team-best plus-24 in the Trail Blazers’ victory over Cleveland.